Halyx
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| Halyx | |
|---|---|
 Halyx poster in 1981 | |
| Disneyland | |
| Area | Tomorrowland |
| Opening date | June 20, 1981 |
| Closing date | September 11, 1981 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Rock concert |
| Music | Disneyland Records |
Halyx (pronounced HAY-licks) was a short-lived science fiction themed rock band developed by Disneyland Records that performed at Tomorrowland in Disneyland in 1981 at the Space Stage.[1][2] They played only for one summer before the event was closed on September 11, 1981.[3]
In the early 1980s, a team at Disneyland Records, which included executive Gary Krisel, Jymn Magon and Mike Post, wanted to experiment with creating a rock band.[4] After the success of Star Wars (1977) and its second installment The Empire Strikes Back (1980), the team devised a concept of an intergalactic rock band that was a cross between Van Halen or Kiss and Star Wars.[5] They decided that Tomorrowland would be an appropriate venue for their debut as the venue would also be a testing ground for potential music releases.[6]
The names Strike and Starfire were suggested, with Starfire making it into concept art for the band, but it was decided to go with Halyx instead, a play on the word helix, to the dismay of some of the members and the producers.[7][8] The team eventually settled on the name Halyx, and got band members who would make the band a mixture of human and costumed non-human performers. In auditions, singer Lora Mumford was chosen to be the lead singer while her husband, Thom Miller, would be a robotic keyboardist. Bassist Roger Freeland was put inside a Wookiee-like costume which he called the Baharnoth while Tony Coppola was made a percussionist in an amphibian costume.[9] Drummer Brian Lucas, guitarist Bruce Gowdy, and backing singers Jeanette Clinger and Karen Tobin were hired as well.[10]
The band only performed for one season in 1981, with Disneyland management stopping the project and no music being officially released as a deal between Disneyland Records and Warner Music Group had collapsed.[11][12]